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Immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies for neuromuscular diseases. Part II: New and novel agents
Author(s) -
Farmakidis Constantine,
Dimachkie Mazen M.,
Pasnoor Mamatha,
Barohn Richard J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
muscle and nerve
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 145
eISSN - 1097-4598
pISSN - 0148-639X
DOI - 10.1002/mus.26711
Subject(s) - myasthenia gravis , eculizumab , medicine , rituximab , multifocal motor neuropathy , immunology , neuromuscular disease , immune system , polyradiculoneuropathy , antibody , acetylcholine receptor , disease , guillain barre syndrome , receptor , complement system , mismatch negativity , electroencephalography , psychiatry
While traditional immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory therapies remain the cornerstone of immune‐mediated neuromuscular disease management, new and novel agents including antigen‐specific, monoclonal antibody drugs, have emerged as important treatment options. This article is the second of a two‐part series that reviews immune‐based therapies in neuromuscular diseases. The first article provides an update on the use of traditional immune‐based therapies such as corticosteroids, plasma exchange, steroid‐sparing immunosuppressive drugs, and intravenous immunoglobulin G. This second article focuses on new and novel immune‐based therapies, including eculizumab, a complement inhibitor approved for acetylcholine receptor antibody‐positive myasthenia gravis; rituximab, a B‐cell depletion therapy with evolving indications in neuromuscular diseases; and the subcutaneous formulation of immunoglobulin G that gained approval for use in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy in 2018. Finally, several novel antigen‐specific drugs at different stages of investigation in neuromuscular disease are also reviewed.